


Best Time of The Year

by WrittenFire



Series: bananamuffin's prompts [6]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Arizona Coyotes | Phoenix Coyotes, M/M, Teen Romance, fun in the snow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-11 05:17:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8955292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WrittenFire/pseuds/WrittenFire
Summary: ‘we were playing in the snow and you suddenly tackled me to the ground and now…we’re just…staring…at each other’

  “It’s just weird, is all. Christmas time makes me kind of cranky.”


  “Well, lighten up. My mom is one step away from wrapping you up and never letting you leave.”


  Oliver grins widely, warmth spreading in his chest. “I wouldn’t mind that,”





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bananamuffin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bananamuffin/gifts).



> For you, my hockey girl! <3

Winter had never been Oliver’s favorite season. What was there to like about it? It was always either raining or snowing, the temperature never seemed to hit above forty at the highest, and it always left him with really dry skin. All that played a part, but if he had to take a guess Oliver would say the reason why winter was his least favorite season was because his parents were always either too busy at work or had planned a cruise or some trip during his break, telling him, ‘oh, we didn’t check the dates we were going, we forgot you were on break, etc etc’—there was always some excuse.

But they always, without fail, planned their trip during his winter break. And it is irresponsible, and would look bad to all their friends, if they left a teenager home alone for the entirety of winter break. So, Oliver always had to stay in dorm come winter break. And there was hardly ever anyone else doing the same. At least, none that he really knew.

See, Oliver was born to career oriented parents, who really, well…let’s just say he’s heard it over said that they should never have had a child. Oliver was an accident, and he knew it. His parents were always very frank about that. He grew up with a strict live in nanny, and parents who were hardly ever there and even when they were, it still felt like they were gone, for they weren’t the most attentive parents.

When the option to either stay at home or go to school overseas in some fancy pants boarding school that looked good for his parents’ reputation came up, the choice was a no brainer.

At first, it was great. The school was away from the pitying looks of so called friends and family and he was finally out from under the stern rule of Ms. Turner’s thumb. He was able to make actual, real friends and find his own little family. Contact with his parents was even more limited than it was before, but that was okay because he was so busy he hardly even noticed.

But as time went on, the silence from people who were supposed to love him unconditionally and without reservation started to get to him. Spring break he always spent with his best friend, Mikkel. Summer break he would spend a week or so with Mikkel, a week or so at home with Ms. Turner, and the rest of the time would be spent with his maternal grandparents learning the traits of the business. It wasn’t his favorite part of the summer and if he were honest he’d say he had no interest in the business.

But, pretending so got them off his back and the housekeeper had always been kind to him; and when she was married and then later on had her first child, Oliver found himself honorary uncle to a little girl who lit up his world.

But come winter, and Christmas break, he would find himself stuck, alone, and wanting to be anywhere but there. Oliver knew that if he were to say something he could go stay with any of his friends, or even with his grandparents if he really wanted to subject himself to that. But winter break he always found himself bitter and he didn’t want to subject that attitude on to anyone.

Plus, he would feel like he was intruding on family time and he did not want to do that. The holidays were approaching and Oliver’s parents had already called him earlier in the week to let him know that they weren’t going to be home due to work and that he would be staying on campus once again.

He didn’t kick up a fuss, because really, it’s what he had expected. But as he watched his friends get excited about going home to see their family, talk about what they would do, what they hoped they would get, he couldn’t help but wish that his life was different, and he would be leaving school to go to a warm home where he would be welcomed, loved…and cherished.

But wishing for that was futile and he knew it, so he kept his mouth shut and evaded the topic when it came around to what his plans were for his vacation. Oliver thought he had been doing well, up until the night when Mikkel cornered him in their room. At least, Oliver could be grateful that he had waited until all their friends had left to strike.

“Soo, Ollie.” Mikkel started, tossing his half-filled pack on the floor so he could sit on the end of his bed. “What _are_ you doing? And no avoiding you know you’ll just tell me anyways.” He leaned forwards, forearms resting on his thighs.

“Hey, I don’t tell you _every_ thing. I kept that surprise party from you!” Oliver argued, doing just as he had done earlier and avoiding the question. “And that was hard, especially considering we live together, roommate.”

Mikkel laughed, shaking his head and sitting upright. “O, I knew about that from the start. You’re not as sneaky as you think.”

Oliver raised his brows at him. “You knew about that? Seriously?”

“I had my suspicions when you started to hide party like things from me…but I definitely knew when I overheard you talking to Connor about it.” Mikkel smirked at him. “I did a great job at acting surprised, didn’t I?”

O shook his head in disbelief. “Good on you, Mikke.” He raised his book in his direction. “Now, I’m going to read. So, shut it.”

“Not until we talk, O.” Mikkel’s face was the most serious he had ever seen it. “Why won’t you tell anyone? What’s the big secret?”

Oliver set the book down, slowly, staring hard at Mikkel. He sighed. “You’re really not going to let this go?”

“No, so you might as well just tell me.”

And so he did.

Which is how, come winter break, he found himself staying with his best friend, staring forlornly at the snow and trying his hardest not to bring everyone down with him. They had been great to him—they always were—but sometimes it was hard to see a happy family together, because all it does is remind him of what he wishes he had.

At the sound of a familiar stomping of feet he turns to see Mikkel making his way down the stairs towards him, a bundle of winter gear held in his hands. He dumps it on the window seat before him, shoving a thermal jacket Oliver recognizes to be Mikkel’s from last year at him, tossing a pair of gloves his way before grabbing his own jacket.

“Put it on! We’re going outside.” Mikkel said by way of explanation.

“Yeah, I sorta figured that one out for myself.” Oliver stated wryly, ignoring Mikkel’s snort of ‘smartass’ to slip into the jacket. He takes his time about it, enjoying the way Mikke starts to fidget in place.

Getting impatient he snatches the zipper out of his hands and pulls it the rest of the way up, grabbing a beanie and shoving it on his head. “Ass. Ready now?”

“Let me just get my shoes,” Oliver pushes him gently to the side, wiggling his way into his favorite pair of boots and following Mikkel outside.  “Is there a reason we’re out in the cold instead of inside, where it’s warm?” He finally asks, after some time spent making tracks in the snow.

Mikkel drags a line in the snow, watching his foot as he answers the question. “Yeah…you know you didn’t have to come if you didn’t really want to, right, Ollie?”

Oliver frowns. “Of course I do.”

Mikkel glances up at him. “Are you sure? Because I know you came, but you’ve been…distant. If you want to go back to school or something we could take you.”

“No, I don’t want that.” Oliver waited for him to look at him, shrugging heavily. “It’s just weird, is all. Christmas time makes me kind of cranky.”

“Well, lighten up. My mom is one step away from wrapping you up and never letting you leave.”

Oliver grins widely, warmth spreading in his chest. “I wouldn’t mind that,”

Mikkel snorts and shoves his shoulder, and Oliver acts in kind. Before long Oliver finds himself hitting the ground, air leaving him in a huff as Mikkel lands on top of him. They’re both laughing, trying to wrestle their way on top, when they make eye contact—and the world stops.

It’s not a new position they’ve found themselves in; Mikkel and Oliver liked to wrestle on occasion, and with their other friends as well. But lying on the ground, the cold from the snow slowly seeping under his clothes, Oliver found something about this time time different. It was like all the little thoughts he had had about him, all the things about Mikkel that he had noticed but pretended not to were rushed to the front of his mind, and all he could think about was that. The way he looked when he laughed, the sound of his voice when he got excited—the way he always knew just how to cheer him up, when things got rough.

“O…” Mikkel breathed, eyes flitting down to his lips and back again. Oliver could hear the question in his name, hear the nervousness that hardened his frame.

“Yeah, Mikke.” He found himself whispering. “Yeah.” And with that, he leaned up, and their lips met in a soft, hesitant kiss. It was short, dry and nothing like he thought it would be.

And it was perfect.

Oliver couldn’t say how long they stayed out there for, exchanging kisses and feeling warm while surrounded by the cold. All he could say—once they had found their way inside and blushed under the knowing gazes of Mikkel’s parents, once they had changed and curled up in front of the fire with a movie playing in the background—was that, just maybe, winter wasn’t as bad as it first seemed. In fact, it might just be Oliver’s new favorite holiday.  

**Author's Note:**

> I fell asleep trying to post this. Whoops, lol
> 
> Also I so played around with information (for example, his parents) but it's what the brain wanted so it's what the brain got. Yay for au's!


End file.
